A forum for owners of Yamaha TTR250 trail and enduro bikes!

The rolling 2000 TTR250 I have acquired is a repairable  write off that a friend of mine wanted to fix up and sell.

It has only 4000 km on the clock where as mine is showing  a hard  20,000km.

It had no front end  at all when  he purchased it and a WR450  was purchased of evil bay, he  had it machined up for the TTR stem.

 It was never assembled correctly and when I picked it up it had a lot of movement in the stem and steered like a drunken sailor.

I stripped it down and saw it still had the original WR450 bearings that are 3mm bigger in diameter, hence the play in the stem.

Out with those and in with some newTTR  bearings from Balls bearings, trying to fit a front end on your own is tough especially with a 5 month old being my only help.

 

Hello all,

I have begun my Rallye build   for the Australian  2012  APC Rally .

Ill be using my wifes   1999 TTR 250  for my build along with a rolling 2000 TTR 250 that I have recently acquired.

The APC rally runs for 14 days covering a  distance  of 7100km.

Navigation is via GPS.

All riders have to carry camp gear ,water and food and tools.

Fuel range required is  330km .

There is a strong flavour of Orange Bikes in this rally with KTM990,s 690,525 etc domintaing the field.

DR650,s and 400,s  and Vstrom are well represented.

Triumph 800,s were in the mix and BMW were there as well.

Yamaha had WR,s and Tenere.

This year there will be a TTR250, someone has to keep those Orange roughys honest.

 

 

 

Just got a TTR & it looked like some pegs I had in the garage might fit...after a little machining to match up the hole diameter to the TTR's they did. Angles are a few degrees off visually but makes no difference riding it but the difference in feel from skinny pegs (it's a blue TTR) to these is alot. I bought the pegs off Ebay a long time ago so I'm struggling to remember exactly what they are but I'm sure they were from a small Yam motorcrosser. The pegs cost £10 & the machining the same. Hope that helps.

I'm at home  being fulltime for 3 kids too so you've got to do the rallye. Experience tells me that any injury sustained during 'your stupid hobby' that makes her take time off from work gets you a very serious bollocking

spit-

I think most of the YZ pegs fit the TT they could of come of that, my first choice of peg would be Pivot Pegs they are made in Oz but cost is high around $240.

The green light from my wife to undertake this rallye was from out of the blue.I did entertain the idea last year when my two mates were keen to try it but knew time away from the family and work would be too hard. With my birthday around the same time it is a nice present. She rides too and we have ridden in Burma,Thailand,Laos,Indonesia and Vietnam.  

Bummer I sold my DR650 at Xmas time as it was built totally for a long haul adventure. She is a top wife and knows how much riding means to me and I think she knows this is one off the bucket list when I start.

 Brian -

 Yes I am using the WR 450 front wheel it has a brand new Pirelli scorpion Mx hoop on it but it wont be used for the Rally it is more suited for track. Im thinking Dunlop 606,s front and rear or Dunlop 952 for the front, a lot of the bigger bikes killed their hoops before the halfway point,  I will try and keep this thread rolling to the finish.

 

 Matteo-

 the front end swap was done before I got it so I dont have a lot of info , I can tell you that the main stem from the TTR was pressed into the WR450 triples, it still uses the same top two collar nuts from the TTr it also uses the same size bearings from the TTR , the front end was off a 2004 WR450. The WR450 main stem off the triples is 40 mm longer maybe to help with the hits from jumping and track use.

 Im  looking forward  to see how it handles, the rear shock is in perfect condition and the ride sits high in the rear to suit the new front , I enjoy a bit more clearance on my bikes as was the set up on my DR, more for the loads I carry it reduces the chance of bottoming out on rough terrain. I like a soft ride as well so Ill be playing with the clickers it's a balancing act.

 

-- Edited by TTpower on Monday 7th of May 2012 09:37:13 PM

-- Edited by TTpower on Monday 7th of May 2012 10:15:51 PM

 I cut out some brackets from the old bash plate and got the tank sitting right and roughed in, Im waiting on grommets for the brackets to make it snug and sit tight.

Have to move the horn and work on the plumbing for the tank.

There's enough clearance with the forks at full swing I did relocate the front brake hose more forward of its existing location as it hit the tank on full swing.

Bracket template -

 

-- Edited by TTpower on Monday 7th of May 2012 10:41:14 PM I also fitted my REnthal bars and installed the Oxford hand warmers, along with all the wiring for the GPS,UHF,LED lights,12volt plug, I did the old super glued the throttle tube to the handlebar trick by accident , so spent a few hours working that out.

-- Edited by TTpower on Tuesday 8th of May 2012 12:15:34 AM

silly question (two actually) are the wr forks longer? and (II) is it possible to use the TTR triple clamps- or do you have to use the WR ones?

great thread mate!

The screen making requires two sets of hand so I have booked in my bike building buddy to come over in a couple of days. He builds more street fighters and race bikes, so Ill concentrate on the other stuff.

I started bending the Lexan and although its bending up ok, I think  I should of cut the shape out first, oh well lucky I have a big sheet of it

 

 

You shouldn't have asked..

I think I would love to see your low front guard, BUT...

the bike goes perfectly well with the high guard at speed.
Low guards are a total disaster in mud and a hassle to clean or remove when clogged, let alone re-install into mud clogged upper mounting points!

And how would you do it anyway? - I imagine you would have to attach it to the sliding lower (inner) fork tube protectors, but this would make it a bit wobbly and would hinder the way those protectors slide up in their little grooves. and there may be issues with brake hose routing.

But, on another tack, if you can tolerate "ugly", maybe you could consider slapping some black paint on the top of the guard to minimize headlight back scatter glare for possibly slightly better night riding vision.

matteo wrote:

---

are you using the TTR 250 front wheel, disk and caliper etc? ( sorry to ask so many questions mate)

---

 Matteo no problem with questions mate fire away, Not using the TTR wheels or disk , the front end off the WR450 was complete from the handlebars to the rubber, makes life alot easier than having to machine up spacers and brackets for the TTR stuff, might be able to recoup some $$$ to if I sell the wheels etc.

 

Plumbed up the Acerbis 22lt tank and took the girl out for a spin around the block, its such a plush ride with the forks and near new rear  shock.  With the original bike the airbox had been drilled and the snorkel removed  on this its pretty much all stock only with the Staintune exhaust which has a nice note and not as noisy as it had been on the other bike.

I really need to try and max out the fuel range out this bike so Im not left  bludging petrol on the rallye, they say a max range of 330km in heavy going terrain is required.

I lifted the bars 25mm and played around with the RAM mounts for GPs and Spot tracker, tonight we play with the screen and fender if we have time.

As Im going to paint the screen black in the inside and will have a tool roll on the front guard if its high mount I wont need to paint the guard to stop reflection of the headlight.

Brindbella have you had a chance to calculate your fuel range with your new tank set up?

I was getting around 160- 170km per tank (9lt) fully loaded with a bit of wind.

Im hoping I wont have to carry a jerry can.

 

brindabella wrote:

---

You shouldn't have asked..

I think I would love to see your low front guard, BUT...

the bike goes perfectly well with the high guard at speed.
Low guards are a total disaster in mud and a hassle to clean or remove when clogged, let alone re-install into mud clogged upper mounting points!

And how would you do it anyway? - I imagine you would have to attach it to the sliding lower (inner) fork tube protectors, but this would make it a bit wobbly and would hinder the way those protectors slide up in their little grooves. and there may be issues with brake hose routing.

But, on another tack, if you can tolerate "ugly", maybe you could consider slapping some black paint on the top of the guard to minimize headlight back scatter glare for possibly slightly better night riding vision.

---

 

Not sure how I would do the front fender, I would leave that up to my bike builder mate to work out whislt he is doing the screen.

 He lives across the road so not to far to go.

If it is all to hard and bodgy  then Ill go with the high mount, I still have about  11 weeks till the start,  we have a hit out in about 4 weeks of 1000km loop to sort out problems and adjust.

 

 

TT Power thanks so much for answering questions..... so you have to post some pics now you have ridden around the block! how was it? how did it handle? was it fun?

great post Mate!

Matt

Hey TTpower

I too think the ttr250 would make an excellent rally machine. I have a few questions about your electrical setup. The stock battery is pretty small, how have you gone with the hard wiring of your accessories? Have you killed the battery with a phone, gps, and anything else. Has it been alright?

In hindsight I could of made the screen a little tallerby 50 – 60 mm  but I like to see the front tip of the mudguard when I ride ,  I also  forgot to factor in 40 -  50 mm  for the airhawk I sit on when  riding long distance but it is what it is and it works fine some of the angles on the top of  screen are out off  whack  a touch but unless you walk around with a protractor you might not notice.

 

 

Gday Phred –

 

In regards to the battery it is  holding  its own with no problems so  far,  Im running a water proof  12 volt socket , GPS , Oxford hot  hand grips, and Led spot lights, I also run two LED strip lights for night time camping  on about 6 meters of cord  , you can throw it up a tree or fix to a wall and the light is pretty good I run these for about 4-5 hours per night and the bike still cranks over in the morning,   it is a new battery though and if the TT  did not have a kick start I would bea little  more  frugal with my power consumption.

 

With  individual mounting posts for each gizmo  to the  + and - terminals   that meant bending a few of the mounts so I could attach the wiring to  the battery terminals( the battery lays on it side). In line fuse (15amp) for each gizmo  clearly marked what does what.

 

  I gaffered taped some concrete expansion foam in around the battery  section covering the wires and terminals , when the plastic side panel  cover is bolted up its very snug and stops anything moving around and if something does break it wont arc on the frame or short something out ….I hopeJ

 

Gday Cubber ,

mate Im sure you would give us younger blokes a run for our money, the oldest rider last year was near 70 and from your pic on you avatar  you look a young 40.

 

 

 

-- Edited by TTpower on Thursday 14th of June 2012 03:09:09 AM

-- Edited by TTpower on Thursday 14th of June 2012 09:27:38 AM

G’day all,  hope all are well in TTR land.

 

 Continuing on,  I   have completed the screen and electrics, fitted up the plastics, mounted the WR headlight surround, chain and sprockets , new rubber (Dunlop 606 rear and Pirelli Scorpion front with HD tubes the Scorpion came with bike)there was a lot of tidying up to do with electrical wires coming out from all manner of places and I  still  had a few switches to add for the various accessories.

 

 I am a little paranoid about electrical shorts as the bike will and did cop a bit of a hard time on the shakedown run and more so on the  rally and with all the gizmos I am running   along with  22lt of fuel sitting at crotch level  I took my time ensuring all wires were shrouded with tape and I chased most of the wiring through some  black ribbed plastic  casing that’s dirt cheap  for extra insurance..

 

I was pretty happy with my 1^st ever screen build, I kept using the heat gun and slowly shaped it over a few days , I cut out the desired shape and folded up some strips of ally and riv-locked it to the side of the WR light surround and used some screen mounting bolts to attach the screen to the mounts.

.

I need to adjust the stand it is a least 50 -60 mm too  short,   in one of the pics  above you can see how much it leans over .

We rode in the dark for a few hours on day two and the spare tube holder on the front guard got in the way of the lights so it had to come off and strapped to the bag, no biggy.

The I phone case needs to be mounted more secure than velro, I thought I was being a bit to optmisitc with the velcro for the case and by the second jump it had come off and banged around behind the dash for the next 3 days, might have to attach a ram mount for it.

Luggage

Not sure if anyway cares about what I run in the Giant loop or dry bag but I always check out other riders set up looking for an idea or two and what they take.

In the blue dry bag -

Hennesy Hammock with fly

Goose down under quilt for under the hammock insulation

2 x goose down sleeping bags   +0 deg and -5deg

small pillow

Exped7 insulation  down mat

If im not sleeping at night because Im uncomfotable or cold or wet then Im up for a long day in the saddle, I only take 2 sleeping bags on Winter trips and these days the goose down can pack down to nothing.

Im a hanger and have been in a hammock for 3 years , best move Ive ever made,no creepy crawlies getting in my bed, only downside is when Im in the desert and theres no trees, hence the Exped downmat if I have to hit the ground these are the go for comfort and warmth.

It packs in quick and easy and all up the weight  is 7.8 kgs .

Hers a pic of my hammock set up froma previous trip.

 

 

 

 

Here is my ride- 2011 Brand New, Just broken in and now at 6000 k's. I call it "The Colt"

My next step is to work out the extra fuel. Im thinking of going with bladders. That way I can adjust on the go without altering the dimensions of the bike. Does anyone here have experience with fuels bladders and were they any good? The next thing is a rally style ****pit design. Here is a universal kit i found from a german mob.

http://www.off-the-road.de/Other-bikes/Fairing-Light/Support-for-aluminium-stay.html#

http://www.off-the-road.de/Other-bikes/Fairing-Light/Universal-Fairing-and-Speedo-support-Rallye.html

http://www.off-the-road.de/Other-bikes/Fairing-Light/Universal-Rally-front-fairing.html

The kit comes in three pieces as you can see.  Once I have a go at this, then Im into the powering of instruments.  Im only going to try a GPS, Phone, and a map reader.  By the sounds of it.  This should work.  We will see.  I will be ordering this soon and i will let you guys know how it goes.  Hey TT, how did your screen hold up on corigations?  Did you notice anything different about the front end?  Cheers Guys..

Nice Work TT!! It looks like everything is coming together. I take off my airbox cover at altitude as well. Its quick. I like to run my bike for fuel economy as far as as air/ fuel mixture. In the qld summer i often take off the air box cover to allow cooler air into the system as well. Have you spent time looking at the different air box mods like removing/ cutting down the snorkel? Thank you for the feedback on the battery. I am currently getting into the rally build. My biggest focus is weight, so I can use/ carry less fuel and reduce wear on all components. Im currently stuck on ****pit/ instruments, and reliable power supply. By the sounds of you experience, i shouldnt have too many dramas. I will start to post here and perhaps you could offer up suggestions as I go. Thanks for your time...Have you had a shakedown in some deep sand?

Hi TTpower, I have been storing the APC rally pre-run trackpoints off John Hudson's GPS feed (XML version) for interest, and coincidentally I see that today his route from Brisbane (via inland - Innaminka, Birdsville, Flinders Ranges etc) crossed the Brindabella ranges near Canberra.

You asked previously about fuel range, and the other day I finished a "run dry" test (carrying an extra 2l of fuel to get home), and then made some calculations. I figure that the tank comfortably held 21.5 liters (so I guess you could fit the advertised 22 liters in), and that the important USABLE reserve capacity (included in the 21.5 liters) is very close to 3 liters. And when the bike finally ran out of fuel, it did it suddenly and there appeared to be NO unused fuel left in the tank (which is good). I got about 20km per liter. So you should get about 60km after switching to reserve. I hope this helps.

My riding is pretty much all between 600m and 1300m altitude, and I agree that, as standard, it ran too rich at light throttle openings - it was fixed to my satisfaction when I dropped the slide needle (ie raised the needle clip 1 groove). I didn't try any other adjustments. However, having said that, my bike has the whole exhaust and intake system absolutely standard - I got it new "in the crate" in 2011 and assembled it myself, so I know that even the so called "restrictor" at the end of the header was left intact (bike shops often cut that off without even asking the owner, when they prep a new bike). Your bike has a different exhaust, so perhaps that effects the breathing and consequently the required tuning.

Like you, I prefer a soft and compliant ride. But I think the worst thing about the TTR250 standard suspension is its harsh ride and tendency to deflect off sharp edged bumps. I think that most Australian TTR250 models actually come with harder springs than the European models. I am fairly light but have adjusted the sag properly, and I reckon it is still harsh (but the shocks may be to blame). And strangely, my more competition oriented WR250F (which I have owned since 2003) is much more compliant on its standard suspension. So maybe your minor issues with the hard ride quality come from the standard TTR250 rear, rather than the non standard WR450F forks, assuming that your WR450F forks are set up the same as my WR250F forks?

How you doing  Brindabella?

Seems we go through your neck of the woods ,  have you ridden the Gentle Annie? with a name like Brindabella Im sure you must know it.

Thanks for the fuel range stats  and Ive taken your path in regards to leaning out the carb, as Im running stock airbox snorkel, only a staintune exhaust. Ill take the drilled air box and play around with the clip if need be on the shakedown run.

Im missing the soft ride but its a bit of a trade off with the extra weight and lugggae Im running Ill play with the settings when I go out next Friday. My next bike was going to be a WR250R but the more I work on the TTR and the more I ride it I think I will stick with the old girl.

Im really enjoying the lighter bike and simplcity of the TTR.

Hey Dazza

 

Thanks for the info, awesome!!  My plans for this bike- I think I have a bit of a rally build fetish of sorts.  I have been taking my klr on Fraser and Moreton islands and found it too heavy.  I was keen to get something bullet proof, light, reliable, had a kick starter, and could run without the battery if it died.  Thats how I ended up on the TTR.  I love it, sold the klr last week!!

The bike will mostly do local adventure rides ( I go to the border ranges a bit) and hit the sand islands.  I am keen to cross the simpson but I will have to wait to next year.  No time at the moment.

I did build a screen out of a 660 tenere screen.  It was good but the mounting was on the headlight brackets which made me a little nervouse for the wear.  I like that design you posted its definitly factoring into my thinking and those leds were brite!!  That german design caught my attention because of the tube mount.  I think having allot of that pressure on the frame while keeping the steering light would be a good goal, but your right its dear.  My neighbors a fabricator so we might be playing...might be...

A loaded dr in the sand would have been an eye opener.  How do you like the dr against the ttr?

I am looking at those rotopax for sure...just working out if I want to mount them or slap em in a dry bag strapped down...

It sounds like you have a complete spare intake system to play with, that great..You can experiment all you want!

If you are ever in this neck of the woods, send me a pm and I would be happy to organise a ride of local terrain that isnt trodden often.  Maybe even a sand island run...Here is a pic of my last rally build...Cheers

TTpower wrote:

---

With just  25 sleeps to go till the start of the APC  rallye 

---

Great build write up - I am sure all the good work will pay off - "Fail to plan = plan to fail" etc

Good luck!

Brian

great Daz, that will be VERY interesting!

I'm probably going in the 2013 rally so I've got a few specific questions:

1. chain and sprockets: a KTM guy in the APC claimed he didn't even adjust the chain (almost unbelievable!), whereas other people totally wore out rear sprockets - I'm wondering what gearing you had, how often you lubed the chain, and did the countershaft sprocket last the distance (and what brand chain and sprockets)?

2. tyres: I imagine the front would be ok for the distance, but how much wear on the rear? - do you think the rear you were using could have lasted the whole trip (for someone comfortable with a near bald tyre at the end)?

3. camping: the 2012 APC seemed to be designed for "pub to pub", did you camp much? if so, was it time consuming trying to find a spot to camp or were some camp site possibilities pointed out in your track note?

4. tech gear: a lot of stuff was compulsory, but do you reckon you could have done it with a small screen GPS, but the mandatory spot tracker and phone just chucked into the bottom of your pack, possibly not switched on? or would that incur a slap across the wrist from the organiser?

5. fuel stops: any problem with queues or early closing or stations out of fuel?

6. what would you have done differently, if only you hand known in advance?

 

 

 

Hi Brindabella,

 

Lucky you having a crack at next years rally, very jealous.

Are you taking the TTR or  the WR?  I hear the course is more mountain orientated next year  yet with the desert legs as well

 

Still working on getting the bike back together my first time on open surgery on the TTR so taking my time and reading lots on here at Totally TTR. Ride report will be after the bike and trying to stay out of the garage enough to keep the peace.

 

Chain and sprockets –

 

I ran a Gold 520 DID chain , with 14/44  gearing and I used the original sprockets from the donor bike as they were near new.  Adjusted the chain 3 times over the 7000kms and no more than 1 increment, I did not lube at all in the desert legs and only used WD40 on a rag to wipe over on the Great dividing range legs.  My mate on  a DRZ400 trashed his sprockets and chain by day 13 we had to do a mercy dash to Port Augusta for spares, not sure what happened but he lubed every day and was adjusting everyday.  

I still have plenty of life in the chain and sprockets no tight spots in the chain. With the gearing some of the more challenging  steeper climbs I had to drop back to first  but 2^nd gear with momentum was ample for most climbs , I would have to push past the front guys on most of the climbs as they could chug along on their big bikes, the TTr likes a run up.

 

Tyres –

I ran Dunlop  606’s ,   I had a spare set at Charleville (2900km) and glad I did.  I had a lot of problems with my rear 606 at the start , they  tyre had a small defect inside the carcass that would wear the tube out over the day, by day 4    I had repaired the rear 5 times. I ditched the tyre in Tenterfield.

In my  group we all  had new tyres fitted in Charleville, . The rear you will definitely need to replace at least by the ¾ mark . I was actually surprised at how much road we actually did, I would say 65% -70% off road, and this was spoken about at most camp stops. We sent our ¾ cooked tyres back home $38 a set not bad. Run Ultra HD tubes.

 

Camping –

We camped 9 out of the 14 days , some of the pubs are taking this pi$$ out of you on what they charge for a room but a shower is nice but not $90 dollars worth. don’t be scared to haggle them in the bigger towns. As for campsites sometime we just rode till dark and stopped on the side of the trail near a river or creek  this worked out better as there was plenty of wood around, most of the National Parks and popular camp sites had no firewood. I enjoyed the camping side of the rally  and we ate pretty pretty well, check out  happy camper gourmet food for great meals.

My little hip flask with whisky was a nice treat around the campfire.  

 

Tech Gear –

 

My little old Garmin 60CSX was perfect for the job it fitted all the routes in and I didn’t have to once stop and reload a new map, unlike the montanas,and later model GPS,s they had to stop and keep reloading new routes.

 You could chuck the spot tracker and phone in the bag and not turn them a lot of guys didn’t even have their trackers set up, If you plan to ride alone I would make sure you at least had it turned on and you had it on you.  There were guys who rode  alone.

 

Fuel –

2 small people problems.

 

  We rode into Quilpie on day 9  ,  2  servos   a pub and general store ,  around 6  off road riders heading to  to the tip of Oz  were  standing around the pumps looking kind of frazzled,  we pulled up and they weren’t the friendliest bunch of guys, one of them said “there is  no fuel” we said “bummer,  there is  another servo  have they got fuel?” with a “nah theyre closed nothing for 2 days till the next truck comes in”.

They then made some smart ass comment about this is the country boys things work differently  out here”.

 

The pub was across the road and we set off to wet the whistle check the menu and   come up with a plan, the frazzled crew sat in the gutter and walked around in circles in the heat.

Great little pub and the owner of the closed servo was in there having a few beers after a bit of banter and a few XXXX golds   offered to open up for us and fuel up the bikes, he was watching the  frazzled crew for a while waiting for them  to come over to the pub but they didn’t.

 

Same day  

 

Noccundra Hotel-  Noccundra – Avoid this place , If next years rally heads near this place and you need fuel make sure you get there before 6pm. Not 6.05 pm, the old codger who runs this hotel shuts the pump at  6pm we were 5 min late and he refused to pump for us he then said I wont open till 10am, he charges 2.10 a litre.

 

We then asked if we could get something to eat , he refused , no reason just said no, people were collecting meals whilst we were asking.  

We hightailed out there and contemplated our next move , we made camp down by the river and the lovely and ever friendly grey nomads come to our rescue and we asked them for fuel they  sold us enough fuel for the 5 of us  to limp into Camerons Corner on fumes. What a tosser that old codger was.We ate from our ration packs.

 

  Innamincka closed at 5 pm we just made it in that day, most places out west shut early as you stated.

 

 

What would I do differently? –

 

Starting at Murrumbateman was great , 11 riders and mostly a great bunch of guys.

 

Ensure my comms setup is in my backpack and not mounted  on the bike – I ripped out the  cord from the radio too  helmet  when I an had off  on day 5 the bike went one way and I went the other.

 

Take more pictures of the technical sections – hard to stop when your having so much fun.

 

Stop and smell the roses more  - again hard to do when your on time constraints and on a rally

 

Take a rest day halfway through the course. To get to the Simpson then spend half a day there is wrong.  Even the Dakar gets a rest day. Its hard on bikes and bodies and mind.

 

 

Take extra tubes and extra gas bombs I had 4 bombs 8 would have been better to pop the bead back on the rim, a small slime compressor is the way, we had one in our group but it died halfway.I had 3 tubes .2 x 21  and 1x 18.

 

 

 

More to come …………………